Valley PBS’ Partnership with Fresno Chaffee Zoo is "Dino-Mite"

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by Anna McDonald on

As part of its Family Circle sustaining membership program, Valley PBS provides Fresno area families with monthly opportunities to bring educational programming to life with show screenings, activities, curriculum, stories times, and character meet and greets at private monthly events.

One of the monthly Family Circle events is DinoNite, a signature event that draws more than 3,000 Valley PBS viewers and members to a private ticketed evening, full of family fun and learning at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. Valley PBS leverages PBS KIDS and Dinosaur Train, while the Zoo provides the venue, and area businesses –including a local vet, pediatritic dentist and car dealer -- support the event through sponsorship. Notably, the event nets significant dollars for both the zoo and the station, shaping a successful business model for additional partnerships and events.

This September, the station’s 4th Annual DinoNite event included a Bio Fact table with real fossils to touch, a make-and-take crafts area where kids made dino puppets, a DinoDig where kids could be paleontologists and uncover a T-rex skeleton, and local children’s entertainers who perform original songs themed around dinosaurs. Buddy the Dinosaur was on-hand for photos and meet and greet, and the evening ended with a screening of Dinosaur Train on a big outdoor screen.

Next up for Valley PBS? The station is holding a family resource fair at the Arte Americas Museum in Fresno. The station plans to have fire trucks, car seat safety, police cars, finger printing, fire safety, a pediatric dentist and much more on site.